Open for Registration:
- Brighton College Schools (until 10 Feb)
- LSE Juniors and Seniors (until 14 Feb)
- Durham Schools (until 18 Feb)
- SHHS Fictional Worlds
- Debate Hub Spring Championships 2025 (state school Year 5s only)
Scroll down for more information on each competition (listed chronologically).
Debate Hub Mooting Competition
This is an annual mooting competition hosted by South Hampstead High School consisting of three rounds of debating. Each debate will either be about a legal case (replacing the motion) or legal-themed.
Teams are of three speakers, with two teams per debate (prosecution and defense). While this is an impromptu format, information about the relevant laws will be made available in advance.
Event Details
- Date: 29 Jan 2026, 4.15pm – 8.30pm
- Location: South Hampstead High School, London
- Format: 3-v-3, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Two streams: Years 7-9, and Years 10-13
- Fees: Free (non-fee-paying schools), £55/team (fee-paying schools)
- Team cap: None, but competition is frequently oversubscribed so no teams guaranteed
Find out more:
Liverpool Schools
This is a full-day event running from 8.30am to 8.00pm. There will be four preliminary rounds of debating, followed by one to three concurrent finals depending on the number of teams registered. Lunch will be provided.
For more information, the conveners can be reached at liverpooldebatingunion.schools@gmail.com
Event Details
- Date: 31 Jan 2026
- Location: Liverpool College, L18 8BG
- Format: British Parliamentary, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Not specified
- Fees: £30/team (non-fee-paying schools), £50/team (fee-paying schools)
Find out more:
Nottingham Schools
This is a full-day event.
Event Details
- Date: 7 Feb 2026
- Location: University of Nottingham
Find out more:
For more information, please contact the NDU Schools Officer at debating-union@uonsu.com.
Imperial Schools
This is a full-day event. Typically, the event consists of four preliminary rounds with a break to finals, and runs from approximately 8.30am to 7.00pm.
While this event is open to all pupils from Year 7 upwards, teams attending typically consist of pupils from Years 9-13.
Conveners can be reached at debate.convening@imperial.ac.uk for more information.
Event Details
- Date: 14 Feb 2026
- Location: Imperial College London
- Format: British Parliamentary, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Years 7-13
- Fees: £30/team (non-fee-paying schools), £70/team (fee-paying schools)
Find out more:
LSE Juniors and Seniors
This is a full-day event running from 8.15am to 7.30pm, with both streams (Years 7-9 and Years 10-13) running concurrently.
Both divisions will have four rounds of debate, followed by a break to Gold, Silver and Bronze finals in each stream.
Conveners can be reached at lsedebate@gmail.com for more information. .
Event Details
- Date: 21 Feb 2026
- Location: London School of Economics
- Format: British Parliamentary, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Two divisions: Years 7-9, and Years 10-13
- Fees: £35/team (non-fee-paying schools), £75/team (fee-paying schools)
- Team cap: up to five teams per school per division, 100 teams total
Find out more:
Imperial Juniors
This is a full-day event. Typically, the event consists of three preliminary rounds with a break to finals, and runs from approximately 9.00am to 6.00pm.
Registration information is typically released 6-8 weeks ahead of the competition.
Event Details
- Date: 28 Feb 2026
- Location: Imperial College London
- Format: British Parliamentary, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Year 11 and below
- Fees: £25/team (non-fee-paying schools), £65/team (fee-paying schools)
Find out more:
Brighton College Schools
This is a full-day event. The event consists of four preliminary rounds with a break to Junior and Senior finals, and runs from approximately 8.30am to 8.00pm.
Note that while there are two streams, pupils of all age groups will compete together. Pupils will break to different finals depending on their age.
Event Details
- Date: 7 Mar 2026
- Location: Brighton College, Brighton and Hove
- Format: British Parliamentary, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Two streams: Years 7-10, and Years 11-13
- Fees: £75/team, concessions available
Find out more:
SHHS Spring Debating: Fictional Worlds
This is a an afternoon event (4.15pm to 8.30pm) consisting of three rounds of debating.
Round 1 will be themed around Fahrenheit 451 (for both streams). Round 2 will be themed around Ready Player 1 (for Years 7-9) and The Giver (Years 10-13). Round 3 will be themed around Harry Potter (for both streams).
Event Details
- Date: 19 Mar 2026
- Location: South Hampstead High School, London
- Format: 3-v-3 , 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Two streams: Years 7-9, and Years 10-13
- Fees: Free (non-fee-paying schools), £55/team (fee-paying schools)
Find out more:
Oxford Schools
Oxford Schools is one of the largest school-level debating competitions in the world. It consists of two stages: i) regional rounds and ii) a Finals Day for top-performing teams. Click for more information.
Regional rounds will be held across the UK and Ireland in Jan/Feb 2026, either in-person or online. Each regional round will have two debates, and will typically run from 16:30-20:30. Schools will be allocated to specific regional rounds based on geographical proximity and preference (indicated during registration).
Top-performing teams from regional rounds will be invited to compete in Finals Day.
This is a highly competitive international event. While there is no official age minimum, teams typically consist of pupils from Years 11-13. Teams consisting of debaters under the age of 15 are encouraged to sign up for the International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD) instead.
Event Details
- Format: British Parliamentary, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Age 14-18 (please click event description for more information)
- Fees: £35/team (non-fee-paying schools), £60/team (fee-paying schools)
- Bursaries: Limited, on request
- Team cap: up to four teams per school
- Regional rounds: Jan-Feb 2026
- Finals day: 14 March 2026, in Oxford
Find out more:
Cambridge Schools
Cambridge Schools is one of the largest school-level debating competitions in the world. It consists of two stages: i) regional rounds and ii) a Finals Day for top-performing teams. Click for more information.
Regional rounds will be held across the UK and Ireland in Jan/Feb 2026. Cambridge is aiming to host all regional rounds in-person this year.
In-person regional rounds will be full-day events on either Saturday or Sunday. Schools will be allocated to specific regional rounds based on geographical proximity and preference (indicated during registration).
Top-performing teams from regional rounds will be invited to compete in Finals Day.
This is a highly competitive international event. Pupils must be at least Year 7 to take part in this competition; however, teams typically consist of pupils from Years 11-13.
Event Details
- Format: British Parliamentary, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Years 7-13 (please click event description for more information)
- Fees: £40/team (non-fee-paying schools), £60/team (fee-paying schools)
- Bursaries: Limited, on request
- Team cap: up to four teams per school
- Regional rounds: Jan-Feb 2026
- Finals day: 21 March 2026, in Cambridge
Find out more:
Debate Hub Spring Championships 2025
This is a free one-day competition running from 9.30am to 3.30pm. It is only open to Year 5 pupils in state schools.
The event will consist of 3 rounds of debating, with a one-hour workshop between Round 1 and lunch (provided for everyone). A briefing video is linked in the registration form.
Schools must bring one DBS checked adult per two teams, and adults must be willing to judge if asked (though there is usually no need).
Event Details
- Date: 27 March 2026
- Location: South Hampstead High School, London
- Format: 3-v-3, 3-minute speeches, 15 minutes preparation time
- Age range: Year 5 only
- Fees: Free
Find out more:
Durham Schools
This is a weekend residential event, running across Saturday and Sunday (teams are welcome to arrive on Friday night).
The event consists of five preliminary rounds – three on Saturday, two on Sunday – with a break to quarterfinals. The schedule is linked in the registration form.
While this event is open to all pupils from Year 7 upwards, teams attending typically consist of pupils from Years 9-13.
For more information, contact competitions@dus.org.uk.
Event Details
- Date: 28 and 29 March 2026
- Location: Durham University
- Format: British Parliamentary, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Years 7-13
- Fees: Depends on accommodation package selected as this is a residential event – details are on the registration form.
Find out more:
International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD)
The ICYD is a junior debating competition for debaters in Year 10 and below. It consists of two stages: i) regional rounds and ii) a Finals Day for top-performing teams. Click for more information.
This year, the ICYD is being organised and hosted by Oxford University.
Regional rounds will be held across the UK and Ireland in Jan/Feb 2026, either in-person or online. Each regional round will have three debates, one of which will on a pre-prepped motion (the topic will be sent out in advance).
Schools will be allocated to specific regional rounds based on geographical proximity and preference (indicated during registration).
Top-performing teams from regional rounds will be invited to compete in Finals Day.
Event Details
- Format: British Parliamentary, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Year 10 and below
- Fees: £50/team (non-fee-paying schools), £55/team (fee-paying schools)
- Bursaries: Limited, on request
- Team cap: up to four teams per school
- Regional rounds: Jan-Feb 2026
- Finals day: 2 May 2026, in Oxford
Find out more:
Brighton College Prep Handcross Juniors
This is an in-person event organised by Brighton College Prep Handcross (formerly Handcross Park). There will be two streams, with both streams consisting of 3 rounds breaking to finals.
KS2 stream judges will be briefed to be much less strict on role fulfillment for Closing teams.
Event Details
- Date: 17 May 2026
- Location: Brighton College Prep Handcross
- Format: British Parliamentary, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Two streams: Years 5-6, and Years 7-9
- Fees: TBC
Find out more:
Thistle Cup Pre-WSDC 2026 (Online)
This is an online event organised by Team Scotland, running across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The event will consist of 6 preliminary rounds (2 prepared, 4 impromptu), with a provisional break to Octofinals.
The event is open to pre-university pupils in teams of 3 to 5. However, this is also a highly-competitive event that regularly attracts national teams preparing for the World Schools Debating Championships.
This event also has a judge requirement. Teams are expected to provide one judge for every team registered. There is a missing judge penalty of £50.
Event Details
- Date: 19 – 21 June 2026
- Location: Online (Zoom and Discord)
- Format: WSDC
- Fees: £55 (early bird registration until 20 April), £80 (21 April to 6 June)
Find out more:
Year 5 Philosophy Cup
This is an afternoon event for Year 5 pupils running from 3.30pm to 7.00pm. There will be three rounds of debating.
The format is highly discursive (a cross between Ethics Cup and debating): teams are given a ‘case’ and are asked to present their thoughts after 15 minutes of preparation time.
Teams are not ‘for’ or ‘against’ the main issue and there is no need to have a decisive opinion; instead, they should consider different perspectives and engage with the other team.
Event Details
- Date: 2 July 2026
- Location: South Hampstead High School, London
- Format: 4 speakers, two teams per debate
- Age range: Year 5 only
- Fees: Free (non-fee-paying schools), £55/team (fee-paying schools)
Find out more:
The Bingham Debating Competition 2026
This is a full-day novice competition for state schools only. Pupils must be in their first year of competitive debating OR have done no more than a total of three debating competitions. Previous finalists of this competition cannot take part.
The competition runs from 9.30am to 5.30pm and consists of four rounds of debating, breaking to finals. Amazon voucher prizes are available for finalists and winners!
Event Details
- Date: 9 July 2026
- Location: South Hampstead High School, London
- Format: 3-v-3, 5-minute speeches
- Age range: Two streams: Years 7-9, and Years 10-12
- Fees: Free
Debate England 